Are You Even Good Enough to Be Disappointed?

A decade ago, I came across a line from coach Dan John that stuck with me:

“Sorry, you just are not good enough to be disappointed.”

At first, it felt harsh. Then it clicked. Most people haven’t earned the right to disappointment yet. They’re just early in the process but acting like they’ve put in years of work

When you’re new to something business, fitness, writing, anything... you’re supposed to be bad. You’re supposed to make dumb mistakes, look foolish, misread situations, overestimate your abilities. That’s the natural part of getting good.

But here’s what most people do instead: they expect perfection out of nowhere. They treat their first attempts like they deserve applause. And when reality doesn’t match the fantasy, they call it “disappointment.”

It’s not disappointment. It’s ego pretending to be emotion.

You’re not frustrated because you failed. You’re frustrated because you thought you shouldn’t fail. You thought you were above the beginner phase.

That’s the trap.

Every successful person you look up to went through a period of total embarrassment, when nothing worked, when every move felt wrong, when no one took them seriously. They just didn’t label it “failure.” They treated it as part of the process.

You can’t skip that. You can’t shortcut it. You can’t self-help your way around it.

If you’re disappointed in your results but haven’t been consistent long enough to have any, then you’re not disappointed, you’re delusional about the stage you’re in.

So stop expecting mastery when you’re still learning the basics. Stop confusing slow progress with no progress.

Be kind with yourself!